Session 4
Mount Mali, Part II The adventurers returned to the Hall of Aristocracy after clearing the orcs out of the Gemstone Mine, much to the surprise of King Strifeminer. He implied that he did not expect the group to survive the encounter, but, true to his word, he allowed Thogretor and the rest into the Hall of Ancestors. They did not have to walk far once inside the dwarven mausoleum -- Rangrim Axeblade's tomb was in the center, along with the other royal tombs, including that of Mali Stoneheart, founder of the city of Mali. Thogretor placed the runestone in the depression on his great-grandfather's tomb, which caused a hidden panel in the side of the tomb to open. Inside of this slot was an oddly-shaped piece of metal, which Thogretor had never seen before. He gave it to the adventurers, thinking perhaps it was worth something. With the honor of his family's name restored, Thogretor asked his newfound allies for one more favor - help him reclaim the throne. The group marched back to the king's throneroom and Thogretor's intentions were announced. Strifeminer begrudgingly explained the process of "changing thrones" while his guards went to verify the return of Rangrim's runestone. He explained that each contender must choose champions to fight on his behalf in front of the populous -- the winner of the fight would determine the ruler, unless a majority of the citizens watching from the stands disagreed. King Strifeminer brought forth his own champions, four fierce dwarven fighters, and Thogretor announced that, although unconventional, his champions would not be dwarves but would instead be the travelers whom had returned the runestone to Mali. Together, the group made their way to the giant arena within Hall of Commerce, where they began to prepare themselves for battle as the excited citizens rushed to find seats. The fight was long and arduous, but Thogretor's champions were determined. All fought courageously while Lady Caraga and Twitch worked to keep their teammates alive. Eventually, the dwarves were defeated and the rightful heir to the Axeblade throne was deemed victorious. The crowd cheered as the champions dusted themselves off, and Taargus made sure not to leave the arena without taking a Thundering Hammer from one of his enemies. Thogretor thanked and rewarded his allies, who then spent some well-deserved relaxation time shopping in the Hall of Commerce and leveling up. They visited Eberk's Armory, the proprietor of which was thrilled to see travelers from Rowen, and was delighted to hear news of his daughter. They also made a stop at the Bedrock Brewery, where bartender Gardain Warstout, agog at having members of seldom-seen races visit his establishment, passed free mugs of dwarven ale to Taargus and Cora. Upon hearing that the visitors were from Rowen, he bet the group 100gp to say "hello" to everyone in Rowen from him. The group agreed, but Fausto surmised that it would be easier to lie to Gardain and say they had said "hello" to everyone instead of actually doing it. Gardain bought into the lie and the group went back to Rowen slightly richer than before. Back at Rowen, Mr. Mugwump had a note at his desk containing 400gp, as had been promised previously by Jamilla Drover. The group then rested, and began to prepare for their next day's journey to the Siri Desert. Previous Next